HEA 101 Quick Guide: Disclosures to Students and Prospective Students

(HEA Title IV , Section 485(a)) Additional Resources Statutory Language

Quick Take

Prior to the new law, the HEA already included a list of information that institutions must disclose upon request to students and prospective students. In addition, institutions have been required to provide to enrolled students each year the list of all disclosures under Section 485(a), as well as how to obtain the information.

The new law adds several disclosures to the list in Section 485(a), including plans for academic improvement, terms and conditions of loans, peer-to-peer file sharing policies, student characteristics, post-graduation information, retention rates, vaccine policies, and disaggregation of graduation data.

It also adds to or revises the more detailed disclosure requirements included in other subsections of Section 485, including exit counseling, campus crime reports, campus emergency response, transfer of credit, fire safety, missing person procedures, notice of drug violation penalties, entrance counseling, and disclosures of service on lender advisory boards.

When Will This Take Effect?

These provisions went into effect when the bill was signed into law on August 14, 2008. They are subject to negotiated rulemaking, so specific regulatory guidance may be provided in the future. In the meantime, institutions must make a “good faith” effort to comply with the law.

Who On Campus May Need to Be Involved?

Institutional research; financial aid; security/campus police; public information; student health services

Additional Resources

• Summary of New Disclosure Provisions in Section 485(a)(1)

Statutory Language